Out of more than 300 applicants, 25 school participants representing business, civil society, public service, and media sectors of Lviv, Kyiv, Odesa, Lutsk, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Mariupol, and Sievierodonetsk were chosen.

 

As the Anti-Corruption School was conceived to be convenient, efficient, and practical for the participants, it will be held in the form of two intensive four-day modules.

UNDP Capacity Building Expert Sofiya Kovach, who was invited to participate as a speaker, stated, "The first module of the School was successful. Main topics discussed were focused on anti-corruption institutions structure in Ukraine, corruption prevention instruments, and e-asset declaration system that is being developed by UNDP, as well as anti-corruption activities in medical and public procurement spheres. The participants were neatly prepared and proactive. We do hope that the Anti-Corruption School will serve as the starting point for their anti-corruption initiatives at the sub-national level."

Activists residing in Kyiv were also offered an opportunity to learn nuts and bolts of corruption prevention within the Open University of Reforms. It is a joint project of the Reanimation Package of Reforms and the Media Law Institute aimed at training young civil society activists. It is held for the third time and corruption prevention is one of its core vectors that this year will be supported and organized in partnership with UNDP.

"Today, Ukraine is at a decisive point: the changes will either happen or not which would mean that we return to a state much worse than the one before the Revolution of Dignity. It is every single one of us who is responsible for the direction our country takes these days," stated Taras Shevchenko, co-chairperson of the Reanimation Package of Reforms' Board. He also added that the Reanimation Package of Reforms is comprised of 48 powerful civil society organizations, 300 experts, who took responsibility for what is happening in Ukraine. This Saturday, 45 young activists will start their training within the anti-corruption component.

 

The initiative was supported by UNDP's Enhanced Public Sector Transparency and Integrity Project funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.